Quiz
by Jordanna Morgan
Summary: Yu's answers are even worse than his questions.


**Title:** Quiz  
 **Author:** Jordanna Morgan  
 **Archive Rights:** Please request the author's consent.  
 **Rating/Warnings:** The mildest of PG, for discussion of vampirism.  
 **Characters:** Mikaela and Yuichiro.  
 **Setting:** During the four-month time skip at the end of episode 24.  
 **Summary:** Yu's answers are even worse than his questions.  
 **Disclaimer:** They belong to Takaya Kagami. I'm just playing with them.  
 **Notes:** Written for the prompt word "Honey" at Fan Flashworks. I never expected to write a "Seraph of the End" fic that wasn't Mika/Krul, but then this little thing happened.

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"…So what's it like to drink blood?"

Mikaela Hyakuya grimaced and hunched his shoulders beneath his cloak.

Of course, he probably should have expected that one sooner or later. Ever since he and his foster brother Yuichiro were reunited, the latter had fallen into a habit of asking the most unpleasant, intrusive questions at entirely random moments. It was really very _Yu_ , Mika conceded… but it was also disturbing and painful for the unwilling young vampire.

Worse, Yu never took a hint from the silent treatment. If Mika ignored him or changed the subject, he would only ask again sometime later.

Not that it was merely a perverse curiosity. Mika realized that, as well. Yu wanted to understand the things Mika had experienced in these last four years, the terrible changes his brother endured, because he cared so deeply. He was just stupendously _insensitive_ about it.

At least _he_ hadn't changed…

Except for the demon in him, that is. Mika would gladly have blamed Asuramaru for the sheer aggressiveness of Yu's idiocy, if he hadn't known Yu was simply like that all along.

Yu was going to press the subject if Mika refused to reply for much longer. With a beleaguered sigh, he rested his chin on his arms and gazed down the windswept hillside that led to the sea. His mind briefly searched for a way to put his inhumanity into human words.

The scrubby slope was dotted with pink and yellow flowers. They were wiry little things to withstand the wind and salt, but they nonetheless had their own beauty, and they played an important role in the landscape. Mika watched rather jadedly as a small black insect buzzed over one of those blossoms, collecting the nourishment it offered.

"Do you remember what eating honey is like?" he murmured at last.

Beside him, Yu's head turned. Mika did not meet his gaze.

"Well, sure. I mean, it was a long time ago, but I guess I had it a few times as a kid." Yu shrugged. "It was always a little sweet for me."

"Yeah. It _has_ been a long time." Mika closed his eyes. "We had honey sometimes at the orphanage. I know I always liked it. Now it seems so far away, after all these years of tasting nothing but—" He averted his face with a shiver, and finally sighed, his fingers clenching on his drawn-up knees. "But the way I _think_ I remember honey… It's kind of like that."

In spite of the winding course taken to reach it, Yu recognized the words as the reply to his question. He gave a little twitch that caused Mika to glance over at him—if reluctantly. The vampire _still_ hated the thought of his brother looking into eyes that were now red instead of blue.

Weirdly enough, Yu seemed just a little bit pleased and relieved by the answer.

"Really? Well… I'm kind of glad about that. I mean—if blood tastes _sweet_ to you, then that's good. I'd hate to think something you need so much tasted _bad_."

Mika wanted to erupt in a snort of incredulous, unamused laughter. Instead, he stifled the sound into a sharp huff against his sleeves.

"Why do you want to keep asking me these awful questions, anyway?" he muttered into the fabric.

"Come on, I want to understand what you're going through." Yu half-smiled crookedly. "And maybe I _also_ want to know what I'd be in for myself—if we're ever in a situation where you could only save my life by turning _me_ into a vampire."

That flippant remark made Mika physically recoil, shrinking back to stare disgustedly at the innocent surprise that came over Yu's expression.

"I would never, _ever_ do that to you!" he hissed vehemently. He tore his gaze away to stare angrily at the ground, his voice low and tight. "How could you even _think_ … When you've seen what _I_ —!"

"Okay, okay!" Yu raised his hands. After a short hesitation, his voice softened. "I get what you're saying, and what you think—you know, about _yourself_. If you really believe a person is better off dead than becoming a vampire, I'll take your word for it. All I know is… I'd rather have _you_ here this way than not have you here at all."

Honestly, Yu's quiet and sincere moments were even worse than his stupidity.

Somehow, Mika managed to blink back the moisture that rose in his eyes. He scrubbed a hand across his face and growled, a low rumble at the center of his chest. It wasn't a very human sound, but that was good—because just then, he needed the reminder that he wasn't anywhere near as alright as Yu wanted to believe.

"…You're an idiot, you know," he grumbled.

Yu merely laughed at that.

"Uh-huh. Well, I probably wouldn't have found you again if I wasn't, so I'm not complaining."

"You also wouldn't be possessed by a demon."

"I'm trying to think of that as a 'two steps forward, one step back' kind of thing. It seemed a little bit better than the alternative at the time. You know—just like you being a vampire."

Mika sighed and dropped his head into his hands.

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 _2016 Jordanna Morgan_


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